5 Strategic Moves India Is Making With BrahMos After Operation Sindoor

India’s BrahMos supersonic cruise missile — a weapon that travels at Mach 3 and can hit targets over 400 km away — is making global headlines again. This renewed attention follows Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s public statement claiming that BrahMos missiles were used during India’s Operation Sindoor.

What Happened During Operation Sindoor?

According to PM Sharif, the Indian military launched a pre-emptive BrahMos missile strike in the early hours of May 10, targeting strategic sites across Pakistan, including an airport in Rawalpindi. This action came just before Pakistan’s planned military retaliation for what it called “Indian aggression.”

The operation was reportedly a direct response to the April 22 terror attack in Pahalgam, and saw India executing precision air and missile strikes against terror camps in Pakistan and Pakistan-Occupied Kashmir (PoK).

BrahMos: India’s Supersonic Game-Changer

Jointly developed with Russia but now produced exclusively in India, BrahMos is a centerpiece of India’s precision strike capabilities. Its air-launched version, deployed by Su-30MKI fighters from a squadron based in Tamil Nadu, led the aerial offensive during Operation Sindoor.

The Indian Navy and Army were also on high alert, with warships and ground-based BrahMos systems ready to respond. Despite having a layered Chinese-supplied air defense system, Pakistan failed to intercept the BrahMos missiles—raising alarms about the vulnerability of its defenses.

India’s Next 5 Moves with BrahMos

With Operation Sindoor proving the operational value of the BrahMos missile, India is now scaling up its capabilities in several key areas:

1. Doubling the Range: BrahMos-ER (Extended Range)

India is developing an extended-range version of the missile that can strike targets up to 800 km away, doubling its current range and expanding the strategic reach of its missile forces.

2. Underwater Deployment: Submarine-Launched BrahMos

A submarine-launched version of the missile is undergoing final development and is expected to be integrated into the P75I submarine program, allowing India to strike from below the surface with deadly precision.

3. Lightened for Air Dominance: BrahMos-NG

A miniaturized variant, known as BrahMos-NG (Next Generation), is in the works. Designed for lighter fighter jets like the Rafale, this version will allow the Indian Air Force to deploy BrahMos across more aircraft platforms.

4. The Future: Hypersonic BrahMos-II

India is also collaborating with Russia on a hypersonic version of BrahMos, which will travel at Mach 5 or faster. This next-gen missile will be even harder to detect and intercept, pushing India’s strike capabilities to a new level.

5. Exporting Power: Defense Diplomacy in Action

India has already delivered BrahMos missiles to the Philippines, making it the first international customer. Vietnam, Indonesia, and even Middle Eastern nations have shown interest — turning BrahMos into a key tool in India’s strategic diplomacy.

Why It Matters

Operation Sindoor has shown that BrahMos is not just a weapon — it’s a message. With cutting-edge upgrades in development and growing international demand, India is positioning BrahMos as a core pillar of its regional deterrence and global defense partnerships.